City on the Line: Lviv in November 1918

November 1918 is included in both Ukrainian and Polish heroic narratives, where the struggle for Lviv is part of the struggle for independence. The proclamation of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic was a forced step to prevent the Poles' exclusive claim to Eastern Galicia and to declare the presence of Ukrainians on the international scene. The Polish population of Lviv assumed a waiting attitude hoping to include the city to the united Polish state. As a result, an armed conflict broke out.

The map shows that within a short time new lines emerged in the city, both those of confrontation and interaction. In order to avoid the severe suffering of the civilian population, the two sides of the conflict had to negotiate. Despite the heavy street fighting, it was necessary to meet the daily needs of the inhabitants. The situation was complicated by the fact that it was just at that time that the replacement of the old power with a new one was taking place and the Western Ukrainian state was emerging.

After the war was over, the interpretation of the event in the Ukrainian version of the historical presentation changed radically. Its very definition evolved from a coup and an outbreak to the November Action. In the interwar Poland, the history of the recent war became part of a heroic defensive liberation story, and for the Ukrainians it was an example of not only legal but also armed struggle for their statehood.